Improvement in barrels



J. D. MGEACHREN.

Barrel.

N. FEERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER WA UNITED STATEs PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN D. MCEAOIIEEN, or GALT, ONTARIO, OANADA, AssIeNoE OF ONE-HALE VE1sEIGHT To DAvID E. BUERELL, or LITTLE EALLs, NEw vonk.

IMPROVEMENT IN BARRELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 200,4 68, datedFebruary 19, 1878 application filed January 2, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN D. MCEAOHREN, of Galt, county of Waterloo,Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Barrels; and I do hereby declare thatthefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

The object of this invention is to improve that class of barrels, casksand similar packages made inthe form of a hollow cylinder from thinsheets of wood, as cut from the log by the saw or knife, and known tothe trade as veneers, by constructing them so that they shall not beliable to have their lining, or the inner layer of veneer shrink awayfrom the head as the package dries, thus causing a liability to leakageof its contents; nor shall the barrel, when lying upon its side, restand roll upon its end hoops, thus rendering it difficult to handle orturn out of a direct course as it rolls along'.

My improvement consists in making such barrels or packages of two hollowcylinders of veneers, rolled one upon the other, the inner cylinderbeing composed of two or more pieces of veneers, scarfed and lapped attheir meeting edges, the grain ofthe woodrunnin g around the barrel, andof equal length with the outer cylinder, which is composed of one ormore pieces ot veneer of equal length with the package, andl having thegrain of the wood running parallel to its axis; and the inventionconsists, further, in the means employed to hold the head in position,consisting of an inner and outer hoop, secured to the inner cylinderofthe barrel, with a space between them, forming a crozing, into whichthe periphery ofthe head enters, being thereby secured in place; and itconsists, further, in providing the barrel or package with quarter-hoopsofI greater thickness than the other hoops, sothat it may be easiertilted upon its end, as well as diverted from a straightl course whenrolling upon its side, together with certain other combinations andarrangements of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, andthen specically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of thebarrel with one head removed, showing the hoops which form the crozingand retain the head in position, as well as the method of joining theends of the pieces of veneer forming the inner cylinder. Fig. 2 is adiametrical longitudinal section through the body of the barrel, showingthe arrangement of the outer and inner cylinders, the hoops, and meansof retaining the head in position. Fig. 3 shows the barrel lying uponits side, illustrating the manner in which the thick hoops keep its endsfrom touching the surface upon which it may be rolled.

In constructing this barrel, the inner cylinder A is first made byrolling around and upon a suitable former the several sheets of veneerof which it is composed, their meeting edges having first been beveledor chamfered, and allowed to overlap, so that as they shrink in dryingor swell from the absorption of moisture there is never an open jointbetween them, nor do they press out the heads in swelling, as isequently the case with barrels having the inner cylinder formed of asingle sheet. In rolling the sheets upon the former, the ends of asuicient number to make ay width equal to or a little in excess of thelength of the intended barrel are held to the former by a suitableclasp, attached longitudinally to one of its sides, and the former isthen rotated, the veneers being retained in close contact with it bymeans of a pressure bar or roller until'it has made about aquarter-revolution. One of the sheets forming the outer cylinder B isthen placed outside of the inner cylinder A, one of its edges beingplaced beneath the pressure bar or roll, with the grain of the veneerrunning lengthwise of the former and at right angles to that of theinner cylinder. The former may then be still further rotated, until theedge ofthe sheet of veneer has passed the pressure roll or bar. Thehoops a a are then placed one at or near each end of the intendedpackage, and two others, b b, of greater thickness than the hoops c areplaced midway or thereabout between the end hoops and the middle of thebarrel or package. Other hoops similar to the end hoops may be placed atintermediate points, should the purpose to which the article is to beapplied require such reenforcement. One end of each hoop is then passedthrough grooves formed for their reception in the pressure bar or roll.Y Nails may then' be driven through the hoops and cylinders A B,clinching themselves by coming in contact with the met-al surface of theformer, which is then rotated imtil the several parts have completelyencircled it. Should the rst sheet of veneer applied to formthe outercylinder B lack suflicient width to completely inclose the innercylinder, the rotation of the former is stopped when the edge of theouter sheet is beneath the pressure-roll, and a second sheet isintroduced, having its edge in contact with the edge ot' the rst sheet,both being nailed to the inner sheet through the hoops and along thejoint. The rotation of the former then again commences, and oontinuesuntil the kinner cylinder is completely covered by its envelopes, unlessit shouldhappen that more than two sheets of veneer were needed, inwhich case they are added, as above described.

The ends of the hoops lap over each other, and are secured by means ofnails or staples, or both, as may be found necessary. The

ends of the barrel are then trimmed by means,

of a pair of circular saws, placed at such a distance from each other asto equal the length of the barrel or package, the latter being rotatedupon its axis during the operation of trimming by means of the former,Vto which it is attached. Other means may be employed for the purpose ofbringing the barrel to the proper length; but I prefer that abovedescribed, as being simple in operation and eX- peditious. The articlemay then be removed from the former, and the operation of inserting theheads proceeded with, to accomplish which a hoop, c, is inserted withinthe inner cylinder, near 4its end, sufficient room being left for thethickness of the head C, which is inserted in the cylinder and lying`upon the hoop o, and is kept iu place by the hoop d, which is placedoutside the head, within that part of vthe barrel answering to the chineof the ordinary stave barrel, and secured in that position4 by nailingto the cylinders of veneer, which form the body of the barrel.

It will thus be seen that the heads occupy a space between the hoops cand d corresponding to the crozing of the ordinary stavebarrel; but,unlike that aricle, it is not necessary to remove the outer hoops fromits ends in order to release the head, as the removal of hoop d allowsit to be taken out without further manipulation, and it may be as easilyreplaced, thus saving much time in heading and unheading barrels when itis desired to inspect their contents. Y

I am aware that barrels and other packages have been made of an innerand outer cylinder of veneer, the grain of which crossed at rightangles; but in these the inner cylinder was formed of a single piece ofveneer of sufcient width to reach from head to head, which method ofconstruction is objectionable, as any shrinkage of the sheet after thehead is inserted not only removes all support from the latter upon itsinner side, but leaves a crevice open, through which the contents of thebarrel may escape'.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, the following:

l. A barrel or package the body of which is composed of two hollowcylinders of ve neers, rolled one upon the other, the inner cylinderformed of two or more pieces of veneer, scarfed andlapped at theirmeeting edges, and the grain of the wood running round the barrel, andan outer cylinder, composed of one or more pieces of veneer, with itsgrain running parallelto the length of the barrelor package, as and forthe purpose speciiied.

2. In a veneer barrel, the combination of a barrel-cylinder composed oftwo hollow cylinders, rolled one upon the other, having the grains ofthe wood of the respective cylinders crossing each other at rightangles, the inner cylinder formed of two or more pieces, scarfed andlapped at their meeting edges, with the hoops b b and c d, as and forthe purpose shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I hereunto affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN D.` MGEACHREN.

Witnesses:

HORACE I-I. WALroLn, JOHN C. BENNETT, Jr.

